KaiFu Lee Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

KaiFu Lee Case - Essay Example In an attempt to mitigate the damages a company incurs by the loss of a valuable employee-one who also holds a great deal of its trade secrets, companies such as Microsoft often include a non-compete clause in their employee contracts. In the case of Kai-Fu Lee, Mr. Lee was prohibited from working with the competitors of Microsoft for a period of one year after the termination of his employment. In July, 2005 Mr. Lee left the employ of Microsoft and went to work for its competitor, Google. As a direct result a law suit was initiated. This research paper examines all the relevant factors in the case of Kai-Fu Lee as well as its implications with regards to the hiring practices of many other companies. The Kai-Fu Lee case represents the culmination of Microsoft's efforts to put an end to what many consider to be a long-standing and unethical practice of Google. This practice involves the attraction and retention of the most qualified employees irrespective of their contractual obligations to its competitors or any other companies. This practice is one that represented an overall strategic plan on the part of Google. An integral part of its strategy was to establish offices in close proximity to Microsoft's headquarters. In so doing, Google was in a position to offer the employees a better overall financial package while ensuring that there is minimal interruption in the personal lives of the employees. In fact, in November of 2004 Google hired Mark Lucovsky who was at the time one of Microsoft's top engineers (Elgin, 2005). Kai-Fu Lee as a Valuable Employee In order to examine the case of Kai-Fu Lee and the suit incited by his engagement by Google it is prudent that we look into the background of Kai-Fu Lee and how and why he was recruited by Google. This coupled with Microsoft's efforts aimed at preventing him from being employed by its competitors will serve to establish the rationale behind the entire case. First and foremost, Mr. Lee was a Chinese immigrant who migrated to the United States in 1973. He graduated from Columbia University in 1983 at the top of his class and went on to Carnie Mellon University where he earned a Ph.D. in computer science in 1988. While at Carnie Mellon he established himself as one of the up-and-coming leaders in the field by pioneering the development of an artificial intelligence based system for playing the famous board game Othello. His development won him the top award at the U.S. National tournament of computer players in 1989. During the course of his academic career he made many significant acco mplishments which were responsible for launching his career as a faculty member of Carnegie Mellon and subsequently as a research and development executive for Apple Computer. While at Apple he was spearheaded the team of developers responsible for developing PlainTalk, Apple Newton and QuickTime. He then left Apple Computer for Silicone Graphics where he served as the president of their Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) division. After working for Silicone Graphics for only a bit over a year, he was recruited by Microsoft and founded the Microsoft Research Division in Beijing China in 1998 where he worked until 2000 when he returned to the United States and served as the Vice President of Interactive Services for Microsoft (Microsoft,

Discussion Questions on Ethics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Discussion Questions on Ethics - Assignment Example This is the case as witnessed in many of the societies. It is due to this that it is important for the people around us to offer nurturing and support. This support is important for the development of the mind and other natural characteristics. Advice is that nurturing takes place at a young age. This is for the best results in the character of the kid as he matures. Question 2 It is the duty of all human beings to show care and concern for others. This is due to the fact that the kind of help and assistance offered to others is the same one reciprocated to us. This is also for the assurance of an environment conducive enough for their thriving. When showing the care and concern, its direction is to anybody that requires it. This should not only go to the people that we are related to. The reason as to why we do this is for the achievement of proper coexistence of people who can rely on each other in times of need having the fact that human beings are interdependent. Human character receives judgment from the deeds that they carry out. It is from this that the natural behavior observed and categorized. There are the various people who do not show any care or concern for their fellow human beings. This is taken to be very unjust and is naturally treated with a lot of reckoning from the society. However, for the people that act up and offer the kind of support needed not only to their families but also to the people around them, they rewarded in many ways. Question 3 When people claim that murder is wrong, they just believe that it is wrong and do not necessarily believe in what they say. They believe it is wrong arising from the many ethics and related studies offered in life. Few people acknowledge that murder is wrong due to knowledge. This is because the education offered to people directs them to knowing the notion against the idea of murder. It is important to recognize the fact that people carry out activities from the experience that they have getting gui dance and majorly not out of their own mentality. Human beings possess this natural characteristic. Question 4 To qualify people as immortal, they must possess very indifferent human characteristics. The people I have in mind died a short while ago and their deaths took me by surprise. This is due to the characteristics that they possessed. An example of the characteristic is that very few times did the fall ill and even never visit the hospital even once. However, after their diagnosis of sickness, they died rather fast and this came as a shocker to many. Question 5 It is not morally permissible to use the human and animal DNA in the manner in which it is done. This is due to the fact that it defies all codes of character that are majorly against the alteration of human and any other beings. This is also against the bible that strongly preaches against these acts. The bible is the source of people’s judgment of morality and hence the manipulation of the human genes for creat ion of hybrids is ethically wrong. 1) For Plato, what kind of ability is necessary for one to entertain higher-level concepts or moral ideas? Like the rest of the early philosophers, Plato upholds a virtue-based eudaemonistic ethics. That is to mean, human well-fare, is regarded as the highest endeavor of moral thought and behavior; the qualities are the necessary skills and traits. If